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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

tutorial - selvedge mug rug

Hi there! I'm happy to share with you a mug rug tutorial and a giveaway. This mug rug features two things I love - selvedges and rounded corners. This is a fun method of sewing that allows you to quilt as you go. Let's get to work!

- Gather your fabrics. I used an 8 inch square of batting, a fabric scrap that is larger than the batting (mine is from Timeless Treasures), Kona Aqua for the binding, and a bunch of selvedges.

- Iron your backing fabric and place it right side down on your work surface. Spray baste the wrong side of this fabric, and layer your 8" square batting over top. Gently smooth out the batting. Trim off the extra fabric so that you end up with an 8" square.

- Place a small scrap fabric in the bottom right corner of your mug rug (approx 2 inches wide). Do not use a selvedge here because you will not see it later on!

- Working your way from the right to left, audition your selvedges. Arrange them with the selvedge end on the right. Allow the selvedges to overlap the cut ends of the fabric by at least a 1/4" - 3/8".

- Once you are happy with your arrangement, trim off excessive overhang (anything over a couple inches). This allows your selvedges to be more managable while sewing.

- Transfer your selvedges to your ironing board in order and give them a good starch and press. Stack them up in the order you will sew them. The top of your pile should be the first scrap piece you started with (mine is the blue and green argyle print), and the bottom should be the last selvedge in the opposite corner (which is the red/white stripe in my case). Transfer to sewing machine.

- Pin your first scrap piece (which should be on top of your pile) onto the bottom right corner of your mug rug. Layer your first selvedge over top. It should overlap your scrap piece by at least a 1/4" - 3/8".

- Top stitch this selvedge. Keep in mind, you will be stitching through your selvedge piece, your scrap piece that is underneath it, your batting, and your backing fabric. Hence, you are quilting as you go!

- Grab the next selvedge from the top of your pile (selvedge is always on right, cut fabric edge on the left), layer it over the previous piece by at least 1/4"-3/8", and sew it down in the same manner. Continue doing this all the way across your mug rug.

- When you are finished sewing down your selvedges, this is what your mug rug should look like from the back. Use the outline of the backing and your ruler to trim off the extra selvedges.

You now have an 8" square, quilted mug rug!

- To create your rounded corners, flip your mug rug over so the back is facing up. Using a cup/glass as your outline and a marker (mine is water soluble), trace a curve onto each corner. Cut along those marked lines with your scissors.

Now your mug rug is ready for binding! Using fabric cut on the BIAS, sew your binding onto your mini quilt in your preferred method. I like to machine sew mine to the front of the quilt and handsew it down on the back.

Please note - if you do rounded corners, bias binding is a must! It creates a lot of stretch that allows the binding to give when you sew around those curves. If you don't use bias binding, your quilt will not lay flat.

So there ya go! A cute mug rug.

Now for a giveaway! If you would like a chance to WIN this selvedge mug rug or one of the others that are featured during Mug Rug Madness, head on over to Erin's giveaway post and leave a comment there. Good luck!!

That would make an awesome pot holder. You know I am not a quilter/crafter...so selvedges mean little me. But...I can appreciate the work that it takes to make each creation. The process described above makes sense to all you crafters. For me it is overwhelming. Haha...but then again...it is the threading of the sewing machine that I am frightened of. So...that doesn't leave much hope for ever making anything huh. Haha!Love the close up pic of you sewing your first two pieces together. Nice shot!

Love the fabric that looks like a writing sample... Where can you purchase it? Great mug rug, I have a small stash of salvage edges....just started collecting a month ago and wanted to use then... I think a mug rug and a pin cushion will be my next projects...Thanks

I am totally blown away at how this looks...created from something that routinely gets thrown away! Not any more, not in my sewing cubbie! Thanks for sharing - this is just beautiful!Jacque in SCquiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

I am in the process of making one right now!!! I just wish my computer was right in my sewing area - although, I can use the exersice and getting up and down really works the backside!! This is just so much fun!! I was woundering if I should just stop colleting these selvages, since I was not using them - and now, I have a Christmas gift idea for all my crafty friends!! THANK-YOU!!!! This is fantastic!! (I also have been wanting to make a mug rug, and this is my first one!!! yeah!!!!

I have a set of selvages put aside for just the right mug rug project and this is it! I have never made a mug rug. Tomorrow just happens to be my day off so I will get right to it tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.

Well, I have mine done!!! LOVE IT!! Thank-you for giving me something to do that is productive and totally useful, plus it was ALOT of fun!! Since I have never done anything with my saved selvages, I got to use a 'new' material for a project. And I have been wanting to make a mug rug since I first heard of them and I accomplished that today too!!! Nice way to spend a snowy day!!! (and that has to stop too!!!)

I love selvedge projects! I've just started to keep mine so have a way to go before I have enough for even a mug rug.I also wanted to let you know I linked to your tutorial from my Mug Rug Swap page: Mug Rug SwapIf you'd like to join in that would be awesome! Thank you so much for the tutorial!

Oh I would love to try this rounded one, thank you somuch. I love the back of your mug rug. Wherever did you find that fabric. My daughter is a teacher and I have been looking for something like this for months...thanks so much

Just stumbled on your blog and am so happy I did! This is such a great idea! And to think I've always just tossed the selvage in the trash. Thanks for sharing this tutorial! I look forward to reading along and seeing all your wonderful quilting projects! I sooo wish I knew how to make a quilt. Maybe one day!

This is so cute. I really want to do some smaller projects soon. I've only done quilts, but would love to try a little mug rug and work on refining my skills (I'm still new to quilting). Thanks for sharing these wonderful and fun tutorials!